Disturbed by the reporters, Laila lost her mood for filming. She decided to give the models a half-day break and postponed the remaining work until the next day. Considering it was their first time here, as long as the models weren't recognized, they were free to explore as they pleased.
This turned out to be a blessing for Roy and Leonardo. They took advantage of the situation, enjoying the company of the beautiful models as they ventured around the park.
Laila loaded the photos taken earlier into her computer and made some color adjustments. The resulting images conveyed an indescribable sense of impact.
"Miss Laila, are these the photos from earlier?" Demi was astonished. She couldn't believe that the playful photos taken earlier could result in such incredible effects on the computer.
"Not bad," Laila finally felt satisfied and relieved. She had always thought her idea was quite daring, and now she could see that it might just be a stroke of genius.
When eerie met sexy, when horror met beauty, when darkness met radiant charm, and when weathered walls met flawless skin—the combination was eerie yet harmonious, exuding a sense of redemptive beauty that directly struck everyone who saw the photos.
"Incredible!" Besides this word, Demi couldn't find any other way to express her current feelings.
Laila was pleased with her reaction. "You can go have fun too. I'm all set here."
"Okay." Demi was always one to follow Laila's lead. She cast a lingering glance at the photos on her laptop before leaving the room. She wished she could have such beautiful photos someday.
That evening, the news featured scenes of reporters surrounding Laila at the theme park and her casual response of "No Comment."
The next day, major newspapers captured readers' attention with headlines like "Witch's New Movie in the Making," "Genius Director Embarking on a New Film," and "Most Diligent Young Director—What Does She Have in Store for Us?".
As usual, Demi brought these articles to Laila early in the morning.
While looking at the newspapers, Laila popped a jelly-like eyeball into her mouth and commented, "Hmm, this combo tastes pretty good."
"Really?" Demi forced a smile, suppressing the surge of nausea. She knew those jelly candies were designed to look like eyeballs, but she couldn't control the feeling of disgust.
Seeing her reaction, Laila teasingly offered her the plate. "Want to try one?"
"No, thank you! If you don't need anything else, I'll head out." Demi mustered a smile and rushed out of the room before Leila could respond.
Hearing the door slam shut, Laila playfully stuck her tongue out after the retreating Demi. Only in such private moments would she indulge in such childlike behavior.
Opening the newspaper, she found the anticipated coverage of her in the entertainment section.
The newspapers all reported similar content, detailing her appearance at the theme park and mentioning the construction of a new area within the park. Some clever reporters even managed to take a few photos at the new site.
However, at present, the area was simply marked off, with some weeds and debris cleared away. There was no sign of any construction, let alone a film set; it was impossible to tell what would be built there.
Nevertheless, the news about her preparing a new movie was confirmed. Her fans and movie enthusiasts began speculating about the kind of movie she would make.
In the past, it would have been easy to guess that she was making a horror film, given her start in the genre. But since she had surprised everyone with the Eastern martial arts film "Rush Hour," fans realized she had more versatility.
Still, she had built her reputation on horror films, each of which could be considered a masterpiece. Her fan base mostly consisted of horror enthusiasts who hoped she would continue in that direction.
Considering her previous films, it was clear she was a director with delicate emotions. It would be a waste of her talent to focus on action and martial arts films. Perhaps she might add elements of horror to action scenes? That would indeed be terrifying.
Film critics joined in the speculation, expressing their anticipation for her work. Some hoped to see her excel at the box office once again. Others, considering themselves elders in the field, urged her not to focus solely on box office success and to create meaningful films that would provoke thought.
Of course, Laila selectively ignored these opinions.
Joking aside, she needed the money. She couldn't afford to make films she didn't even want to watch herself. Was she out of her mind?
After reading all the related articles, Laila folded the newspaper with satisfaction and set it aside. Things were developing in the direction she had hoped for.
Her new film had already garnered attention before production even began. This attention was unlikely to wane anytime soon. Furthermore, her appearance at the theme park provided free and lavish publicity for it.
Employees were earning extra money, the new film was getting early publicity, and the theme park was gaining popularity. What a wonderful turn of events, wasn't it?
Leila had learned her lesson from the previous day's filming. She brought the models into the park before its official opening, taking advantage of the time difference to complete the work before the influx of visitors. She anticipated that with the recent media coverage, the theme park would likely be bustling for some time.
However, she had underestimated her popularity and the energy of the reporters. Typically, theme park visitors wouldn't arrive so early; the park opened at 9 a.m., and it usually wasn't until around 10 a.m. that crowds would start arriving.
But today was different. Even before the park officially opened, a significant number of people were already waiting outside the gates, and more vehicles were approaching.
Billy was ecstatic at the news. More visitors meant more spending, and the morning visitors would contribute to lunchtime sales at the park's dining facilities. With the big boss on-site, a nice bonus might be in store for him, considering how well he had managed to improve the park.
Yet what he didn't anticipate was that the visitors weren't just interested in the open sections of the park. They were particularly curious about the area where rumors speculated Laila would shoot her new movie. Despite attempts to keep people out, the flimsy barriers did little to stop those determined to explore.
As a result, Billy's joy turned to despair. The area he hadn't yet prepared was "explored" by eager visitors, leaving it in even worse shape. Now, not only did they need to level the ground, but they also had to redo the areas they had already tidied up, essentially starting over.